We can now start focusing on the offseason, now that we have moved past the nonsense and noise about clinging to the scraps of hope for the 2018 season. We will explore what is needed and what should be the plan moving forward with a thin roster of core players. There is no doubt they have the skill players to compete and create mismatches. It is the core of interior as well as key role players that move the needle from the bottom dwellers of the league to the legitimate contenders of the league.

We will not call for the restructuring of the entire coaching staff and changes within the front office but that would be disingenuous, as we all know that is not happening. Shurmur is on his second stint and clearly has underwhelmed this season with decision-making and the predictability of the offense. But he is not going anywhere. We can, and do deeply hope, that there will be some major self critiquing of both their offensive and defensive scheme/game planning. We hope they can learn from the Chiefs, Rams, Saints and even Eagles; specifically as it relates to offensive scheme implementation. Some of the personnel changes and additions need to be accounted for to implement these scheme changes. You have the skill players. It is complementing them with the core players to leverage their skill set.

Gettleman does deserve credit on the promising returns of his first draft. All world Barkley and Hernandez are the cornerstones of this draft. Lorenzo Carter and B.J. Hill shows promise and upside. He tried to fill out the major gaps left behind by his predecessor with free agent signings. Those, however, did not pan out terribly well. We don’t need to re-visit the years of neglect that left this roster thin and devoid of drafted talent. It is going to take much more than ONE offseason to rebuild and acquire young controllable talent via the draft. The foundation of your roster is not constructed via free agency.

Unfortunately, the meaningless win versus back-up QBs and cast off journeymen QBs has affected their draft position. The higher up you are picking the higher the probability in drafting an impact player but, more importantly, the better draft capital you posses. This teams needs picks. It needs draft capital to fill in the holes and depth of their roster. It needs some patience to get it done right. Unfortunately, for the average fan, and especially the New York fan, it very likely means another season of missing the dance.

In our recap from this past Sunday’s game we communicated our desire to move on from Eli. We laud Eli for bringing us 2 Super Bowl Championships and those magic runs. We are not Eli haters. We are objective in what we see. We are objective in what the numbers state. We see regression. We see the poor decision-making and effect of the OL has had on him over the years. A veteran of 10 years in the league does not make the mistakes we have seen over the last several seasons. Here is a classic example of why we call him PTSD QB. In the twitter feed of Nick Turchyn he breaks down a backside TE screen that was not executed.

Play 1: Orbit Action to Backside TE Screen
The QB’s fake seems 2ndary to getting to the throwing lane quickly. Get asked why QB is so inaccurate on short throws, his plant foot immediately opens/ends up way left/, Idk how u can be consistent #GiantsPide#GiantTidbits#TENvsNYGpic.twitter.com/ZlxcIzLfl6

Eli was rushed by a LB. He rushes his throw and throws it off-balance to avoid the hit instead of stepping up to make an accurate throw when he had sufficient enough time. Danny Helfezer, from The Ringer, aptly points out miss-reads by Eli this season; specifically a 3rd and goal where he missed a wide open OBJ. You think OBJ was demonstrative in his frustration with plays like these? Keep Eli around and see what happens next season. These are all not isolated incidents. They are a pattern that has built up over the years. Finally, Matt Miller polled NFL scouts on what they would do to improve this season’s weakest teams. One scout goes on to state about the Giants that they “are never going to figure it out until they get the balls to cut Eli” and “as long as he is holding them back they ain’t winning.”

By moving on from Eli the organization will also save upwards of $17 million in cap space and with other contracts coming off the books they could be looking at close to $50 million in cap space. Whether they agree upon drafting a QB in round 1 in 2019, it would be prudent to sign a veteran QB as a stop-gap or as insurance. These veteran free agents will not exceed $20 million per year in cap space and by signing to 2-3 years you can spread it out and minimize the cap hit. Finally, as it relates to Eli, we advocate that the organization handles this gracefully by being proactive with Eli as they move on. We certainly hope they can discuss this openly with him and come to an amicable parting of ways. A tribute would be more than necessary for the most accomplished QB in NYG history.

We are of the opinion that the QB class in 2019 is very weak. We do not advocate using a first round pick on Herbert, Hankins or Grier. Herbert plays for Oregon. Who has Oregon played? How strong is the Pac 12? How can you get a true evaluation with the system he plays in and versus competition? Hankins I have personally watched in the Big 10. He does not stand out. He misses a lot of throws and his team was highly inconsistent this year. Grier, no thanks. In addition, there were reports that the organization was not enamored with the quarterback class from this past draft class. Why would they feel any different about this class?

We therefore advocate being active in the draft and move down when at all possible. Acquire draft capital whether in this draft and/or in 2020. You need quantity of picks. You need to flexibility in draft for 2020 when the probability of landing a legitimate NFL quarterback is much greater with the likes of Tua and Fromm. Besides, how can you expect any rookie QB to develop and thrive behind this anemic OL? Therefore, the team needs to focus on building and accumulating talent in the trenches. Supplement your roster with LBs and secondary help in mid to later rounds, which will be benefited by hoarding picks. You are going to obviously miss on picks in the mid to later rounds more so than in day 1 of the draft. The more picks you hoard and acquire the greater the probability of hitting on these picks. This by no means we are suggesting this is a two-year turnaround plan but must be the plans as the start of your rebuild.

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One thought on “Looking Ahead to 2019: REBUILD”

John FDecember 19, 2018 / 6:16 pm

I like your plan. Only problem is, I don’t see the Giants doing most of it. Reese’s misses have gutted this team. The Giants need so many pieces that I don’t see them being seriously competitive for at least 2 to 3 years. By then we will have wasted the best years of Beckham and some of Barkley.

When was the last time you remember the Giants trading down? I begged them to several times in the last few years and it never happens. I know Reese never did and Gettleman isn’t known for such a tactic (did he ever trade down at Carolina? I don’t know – asking). Not trading down is how the Giants ended up with players like Flowers and Apple.

Priority #1 has got to be rebuilding the core of this team the offensive and defensive lines. Giants used to be known for a scary pass rush. They have virtually no pass rush at this point. The offensive line is better but still needs at least 2 pieces.

My gut feel is Eli is back next year. It won’t be popular and I’m not thrilled with it but it sure feels like that is where they are headed. I expect they will roll with Eli one more year then draft a QB in 2020.

The Giant will finish at the bottom of the NFC for the second consecutive year. You know the last time they finished at the bottom of the NFC East in consecutive years? 1976-1978. That is some bad company to keep. This is going to take multiple years to climb out of this hole.

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